In life, one will go through a number of stages in life. Infancy, Youth , Adulthood, and Old Age are all key stages. As one grows, they mature through these various stages. When one reaches old age, there is often a lot of doubt surrounding their lives. Serenity, and independence are often the two most questioned. These are some questions that Santiago has to ask himself as well. In the novel The Old Man And The …showed first 75 words of 1298 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1298 total…life shows that he can relate to the fish and understands why he must catch him. The boy paralleling Santiago’s youth is important because this gives Santiago one last chance to be his own person before having to ask for help. All of these are important in Hemingway’s conception that as man ages, his independence will diminish, as his dependency on others will grow as shown in The Old Man And The Sea.